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Putting My Foot Down
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Contrast
PaigeAs I expected, Sera Bianchi’s number was not only programmed into the phone Tom had given me, but added to my starred contacts. I trudged into my room and shut the door behind me. Tom said she’d patched him up after a gunshot wound and saved his life. Dr. Martinez might do house calls, but I doubted she did them on short notice, so having Sera nearby would hopefully bridge the gap. I had no idea who the mafia men used for their doctor when Sera wasn’t around, but if it wasn’t a woman, it wouldn’t work anyway.I dialed and held the phone to my ear with my eyes closed.“Paige!” Sera picked up almost immediately. “I’ve been waiting for you to call. How are things?”“Good, good,” I said automatically. “So—”“So, I heard from Killian that Tommaso said you might be willing to think about going shopping soon!” she trilled. “I was so glad to hear you’re finally on the upswing. I was thinking you, me, Olivia, and Penny could really tear up the town.”“Totally,” I said mostly to make her
Taken by the Mafia King Hand in the Cookie Jar
TommasoOn Friday morning after Paige’s therapy, I sat at my desk, tying up a few loose ends. I hadn’t heard anything from Tony yet, but if I had to guess, I’d say the bastard would keep me waiting as long as possible as some kind of punishment for making him show me his set-up in the first place. He definitely seemed to want the “product” I “had,” but he also seemed like a petty piece of shit.The door to my office opened, and I looked up, expecting Miranda with the espresso I’d requested. Instead, Killian stepped in, wearing the sort of scowl I knew meant he wasn’t pleased. Part of me, the part that knew I was sitting in my own goddamn house running my own goddamn operation, wanted to demand what the hell he was doing here. The rest of me just saw my pissed-off boss—former boss.Killian dropped into one of the leather armchairs across from my desk. “What the fuck have you gotten yourself into now?”“What?” The tips of my ears warmed.“I’m not stupid, Tommaso.” Killian plucked a pen
Taken by the Mafia King Permission
PaigeSomeone knocked on my door in the middle of my workday on Friday, so I stood to open it.“Hi!” Sera wrapped me in a perfume-scented hug.I tried to extricate myself. “Uh, hi. What are you—”She bustled inside with a large tote bag that didn’t match her perfect, deep red pantsuit and began laying things out on the kitchenette counter of my suite. “Today’s the day, right? I wanted to go over the plan.”“Oh.” I drifted over to the counter with her.“So, it’s a little short-notice, but I was able to get six of my friends—well, five and my mom—to offer their services.” She laid out a list of names, each of which had four or five bullet points underneath it. “I didn’t know exactly what kind of space we were working with, so I figured a list with everyone’s skills would be most useful.” She grinned at me. “In terms of other stuff, I put together this care package”—she pulled out a pink mesh bag that looked like it had been made for makeup—“for each of the women. I know you said you did
Taken by the Mafia King Hungry
PaigeMy mouth crashed into Tom’s, and our teeth clacked together painfully. For a split second, I thought he was going to shove me back and keep arguing. Instead, he grabbed me and lifted me so I could reach his mouth more easily. I wrapped my legs around his waist and devoured him like he was food and I’d never eaten before. His tongue moved in rhythm with mine, meeting me stroke for stroke. I wound my hands into his hair and pulled. He hissed and nipped my bottom lip.The spark of pain mixed with the pleasure mingled, became something more intoxicating still. He wouldn’t hurt me worse than I wanted, than I could handle.All of Tom’s gentle restraint seemed to have disappeared. He shoved a hand up under my sweater with no warning, his massive palm warm against my stomach. I moaned and arched into him. He made a low, ravenous sound.I pulled back from his lips and began kissing the rest of his face, his neck. It took all my failing brain cells to remember not to sink my teeth into th
Taken by the Mafia King Going In
TommasoI climbed out of my black sedan and double-checked the address Tony had sent me on my phone. The grungy cement rectangle squatted on a garbage-filled plot of land just to the north of the city. I grimaced and dialed Lyle. If Tony was even worth the relatively little amount of credit we gave him, he’d check me for wires, but if I left a call open, Lyle would know when to move.“Ready?” he said as he picked up the call.“Ready.” I slipped my phone into my back pocket without hanging up and knocked on the door in the pattern Tony gave me with the address.The metal door creaked open.“Hey, Tommaso!” Tony grinned at me.I forced myself to smile back. He’d given up the faint concession to professionalism—a button-down shirt I always saw him in at my warehouses—for a thin, grimy wifebeater. At least he didn’t ask to shake my hand. I started to step in.“Ah!” Tony held up a metal detector wand. “Mind?”“Since you’ve been so gracious.” I held up my arms and let him run the wand over m
Taken by the Mafia King Unavoidable
PaigeI tapped a frantic pattern on my jeans, waiting for the signal from Tommaso. According to Lyle, who I’d bribed with promises of backdoor access to the slate of programs Henley and Stephenson gave me for free, he’d just gone in. Sera sat in the front seat, almost frozen, like she had been the whole time. When I told her I was going to sit outside, she insisted on coming with, to give me moral support, but she’d gone still as soon as we got in this van. It seemed like she needed the support more than I did. Killian gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white, and released it again. Clearly, he’d rather be inside, but Tom said he didn’t have enough uniforms to add another cop to the roster. I thought he just didn’t want to be under his old boss’s heavy gaze. Olivia had also tagged along, though she intended to stay in the car the whole time. I thought she must be there for moral support.The sharp crack of gunfire split the air. Sera turned green. My blood froze. Eons pa
Taken by the Mafia King Picking Up the Pieces
PaigeI stumbled into the door of Tom’s house my heart pounding in my chest. We weren’t nearly done yet. Olivia grabbed my arm and helped me into a chair.“You’ve got this, Paige,” she whispered. “You got them in the van, and now they’re here.”I laughed breathlessly. At least the women in my van had seemed to calm down once the men were out of sight.Sera stepped in with a few of the women. “Where do we want them? The rest of my friends are on the way.”I swallowed. “Den, for now.”The next hour passed in a blur. The women poured into the den, then out of it for showers. Sera’s little kidnapping goodie bags ended up being really helpful for keeping track of things. I passed around a couple permanent markers and watched the women scribble their names on every single item in the bags just for the thrill of doing it, of having a name you could call yourself again. My throat grew thick as I watched one woman, Andi, who told me later in a whisper that she had been pregnant when they took
Taken by the Mafia King Clean Up
TommasoAll the guys who’d helped that night with the raid crowded into my office, and I passed out glasses of my favorite scotch. Killian took a whiff and grimaced playfully. Even though we had to hide out here to keep from scaring the women in the den, there was a celebratory mood in the air. We’d done it! Not only had we gotten all the women out and taken Tony down, we’d gotten off basically scot-free. Vince got winged, but we didn’t even need to interrupt Sera to patch him up. Teddy had done it with a splash of cheap vodka and a couple wound closure strips.“All right.” I lifted my glass. “To the Conti syndicate.”“Conti!” Everyone knocked their glasses together and drank.“Stan, progress report?” I took my seat.He cleared his throat. “I’ve put word out through the appropriate channels, and the Philly PD is claiming a massive success in taking down a sex trafficking ring just outside the city.”The men cheered again.“That doesn’t mean there won’t be questions,” I said. “When som
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Taken by the Mafia King Epilogue
PaigeI stood in the vestibule outside of the chapel, clutching my flowers, my heart hammering in my chest. Organ music belted through the doors, and I was just waiting for my cue.We all were. My two bridesmaids, in simple maroon dresses, stood ahead of me. Like she could feel my eyes, Lauren turned back and winked. I smiled. The dress looked spectacular on her, and I’d promised up and down that Tom would invite enough handsome men for her to go home with a date. This, of course, had been complicated by Tom choosing Killian and Stan as his two groomsmen. While I liked the older man, and he kept Lauren laughing, I didn’t exactly see the two of them as a couple.Mom stepped up next to me with a smile. Her mother-of-the-bride dress, a deep burgundy gown with gold accents, caught the light and sent it dancing. “Are you excited?”I inhaled sharply. “I kind of can’t stop thinking about the seating chart for the reception. Who have I become?”She laughed. “Your father.”Tears beaded in my e
Taken by the Mafia King Old Time's Sake
KillianI sat behind my desk and looked out over my men. Tommaso took his usual seat. Adrian hovered in the corner like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself yet, just like he had at the beginning. Patrick was still laughing about spilling his wine. Just like old times. I stood and started pouring everyone drinks.“So,” I said, “do you have an update on the warehouses, Adrian?”He started toward my desk, then paused. An odd moment passed. It wasn’t really my desk anymore. I’d left the hunk of wood behind because I had no need for it on the island, and he’d loaded it down with computers in my absence. Despite that, I’d never seen anyone sit behind it but my father besides me.I offered Adrian a drink. “Sit.”He nodded. “Didn’t want to step on your toes. The situation is pretty simple, all told, but I can tell there’s a certain amount of grace I’m supposed to be handling this foreman with, and I don’t—”Tommaso joined me at the bar to pour. “Do you remember that foreman in the so
Taken by the Mafia King Big News
PaigeI tucked my arm through Tom’s and straightened my long, floral romper. He kissed me on the cheek, then knocked on the door. Joyce swung it open.“Hello!” She welcomed us both in with hugs. “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci are in the drawing room. Please, come in.”We let ourselves be bustled through the door, the wine we’d brought carried off to the kitchen, and our coats taken to some closet somewhere in the mansion. Adrian used it as a base of operations when Killian and Sera weren’t home, so I’d been here a few times since the wedding, but I’d never felt comfortable here. Finally, we were led to the closed doors of the drawing room, and Tom opened them with a smile.Inside, we found not only “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci,” but also Olivia and Patrick, Adrian and Penny—who still wouldn’t even talk about their dance at the wedding—and Sera’s mother and brother, as well as Lauren. Sera leapt up to greet us, and Killian followed a few paces behind. I threw myself into the hug just as much as Sera did—I
Taken by the Mafia King Checking Up
SeraI folded a T-shirt and put it into Killian’s suitcase. “Are you sure we need to leave so soon?”He chuckled and took the T-shirt back out, then replaced it with a suit shirt. “Very, unfortunately. Adrian is in the middle of a difficult situation with one of the warehouses, and he needs a steady hand to guide him through.”My stomach churned at the thought of leaving the villa. We’d only been here for a couple of months, and we’d promised everyone we’d return, but dammit, I wasn’t ready yet. Lazing around the villa and having sex whenever the mood took us was way too fun to stop after only a few months.“But we’ll be back soon, right?” I asked like I didn’t already know.“Cara mia.” Killian took my hands. “What is happening in that head of yours?”I sighed. “I don’t know. The thought of leaving just make me kind of sick. We just got away from all that. I don’t want to be scared again.”He studied me for a long moment. “You do look a little pale. How sick is this making you exactly
Taken by the Mafia King Humdrum Excitement
PaigeI squeezed Tom’s hand in the car on the way to the airport.“Sad to be leaving?” he asked.I smiled. “Always. It’s so magical here.”He laughed. “Not just saying that because we’ve spent most of the vacation in bed?”I ran my free hand up his leg. “No, we have weekends for that at home.”“Fair enough.” He kissed the back of my hand. “I do like going on these little vacations, though. It’s a nice escape for a few days.”I nodded. I really was going to miss Paris, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay much longer anyway. Lauren had been texting me updates about the shelter, especially the new one as women settled in. I kept thinking about how much I was missing, how much they needed me there. And I knew Tom was feeling the same. Apparently, Lyle had his sights set on someone new, and Tom was itching to pull the trigger. Anybody else would probably think we were freaks, desperate to leave a luxury vacation to get back to our grueling jobs. But those people didn’t realize just how much
Taken by the Mafia King Perfect Fit
TommasoWhen I told Paige I’d set everything up for another two days in Paris, she’d immediately insisted we spend a day shopping. I put up a cursory front of complaints, but in truth, I was perfectly happy following her from store to store and carrying her bags. Even better, she loved it when I made jokes about some of the worst, frilliest, most French things we came across. She laughed and joined in. For years, I’d heard men complaining about shopping with their girlfriends—fiancées—saying it was the most boring thing in the world, but even if we weren’t laughing up a storm as we paid our way through the most expensive boutiques in Paris, I still would’ve been having a ball. The sun was shining, she kept looking at the ring I’d put on her finger with a soft wonderment I’d never seen in her eyes anymore, and my face hurt from smiling. Paige and I could’ve made a hell of an afternoon out of reading the phone book.“Stop!” she said.I froze, my free hand twitching toward the gun I’d hi
Taken by the Mafia King Beginning of Forever
PaigeI didn’t know how long Tom and I lay there, listening to the fireworks and seeing the very top of their arcs through the sliver of windows accessible from the floor. I pillowed my head on his chest and enjoyed the steady beat of his heart. Engaged. The last time I was here, I’d been on the cusp of recovery, just starting to make strides toward the person I was today. Now, I wasn’t done—I didn’t know if there was a done for traumatized people or people in general—but I was so much better, stronger, happier than I had been.The last time Tom and I were in Paris, I’d thrown myself at him and chickened out. As much as I could stay at a private view of the Eiffel Tower, I wanted to show him just how much had changed. Just how much I meant the “yes” that had fallen so easily from my lips. I rolled on top of him.“What do you say we take this back to that hotel room you picked out?”Tom grinned and pulled me down for a kiss. I pressed myself against him, feeling every line of his body.
Taken by the Mafia King The Only Ones
PaigeI sat across from Tom in an empty, stunning restaurant in the middle of the Eiffel Tower with my head spinning like the three sips of wine I’d had with the appetizer were enough to make me drunk. He’d really rented out the Eiffel Tower. And not one floor, the whole thing. We’d ridden an empty elevator, the two-Michelin-star chef kept coming out to tell us why he’d selected particular dishes based on the information Tom had given him about our preferences, and I couldn’t hear anything but the soft classical music over the speakers. It felt like a dream.Tom took my hand. “So?”“So what?” I asked.“Was the surprise worth it?” He grinned.I looked over his suit, a forest green that brought out his eyes, worn without a tie. His dark curls tumbled into his face. I’d never seen him look so perfectly put together and so casual. He looked…well, he looked exactly like the man I’d fallen in love with. Nothing like the one who’d scared me so badly all those months ago in Cairo.“I get the
Taken by the Mafia King Peace Time
TommasoDespite how much I wanted Paige to keep that little black dress on, we had a few hours before the Tower officially emptied out for our use. I talked her into putting on something a little more walkable and keeping the lingerie on. As if to punish me for my restraint, she picked a pair of tiny, wide-legged shorts that showed the tops of the garters attached to her stockings every time she moved and a fitted blouse. I changed and somehow convinced myself to leave the hotel room instead of stripping everything off her and spending the hours in bed.She took my hand as we stepped into the lobby. “I should’ve known. When you plan a surprise, it’s never just one thing. Where are we off to first?”“So nosy.” I smiled.“You’re right, I’ll stop asking.” She slid the room key out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a second, then dropped it. With a small smile, she bent at the waist to pick it up, exposing those garter straps again.I grabbed her waist and hurried her the final few st
